SINGAPORE, Singapore, January 23, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Government of the Republic of Singapore and the Government of the Republic of The Gambia have established diplomatic relations with effect from 23 January 2015.
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DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, January 23, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region Said Djinnit visited Tanzania on 22-23 January and met the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Honorable Bernard Membe. The two officials reviewed the political and security situation in the Great Lakes region and discussed current challenges, in particular the urgent need to deal decisively with armed groups operating in eastern DRC, especially the Allied Democratic Forces(ADF) and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). In addition, they looked forward to holding the Great Lakes Private Sector…
LILONGWE, Malawi, January 23, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has started distribution of high-energy biscuits to people stranded by floodwaters in Nsanje district, one of the worst-affected by floods in southern Malawi. Some 77 metric tons of biscuits, enough to feed 77,000 people, were airlifted into Malawi from the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Dubai earlier this week. This ready-to-eat food is prioritized for the most vulnerable people, particularly children, who are displaced from their homes and have no access to food or cooking facilities. Reaching the worst-hit areas to assess needs has…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, January 23, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations, Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the European Union (EU), African Union Mission in Somalia, the United States and United Kingdom have expressed concerns over delays in the implementation of Vision 2016 due to the prolonged political crisis. At a meeting on 21 January with HE President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and HE Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, they urged Somalia’s leadership and its political institutions to ensure the appointment of a Cabinet that receives the consent of the Federal Parliament without any further delays. “We call on the…
PARIS, France, January 23, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A hospital operated by the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was directly targeted in an aerial bombing by the Sudanese Air Force (SAF) in the South Kordofan region of Sudan on January 20, forcing the suspension of medical activities. One MSF staff and one patient were injured and the property suffered damaged. “We condemn in the strongest terms the bombing of the Frandala hospital”, said Marc Van der Mullen, MSF head of mission. “With more than 100 patients present, we were very lucky not…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, January 22, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The new Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (DSRSG), Mr. Raisedon Zenenga, arrived in Mogadishu today to assume his duties with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).“I am very pleased to have this opportunity to return to Somalia and support the aspirations of the people of Somalia for a peaceful, stable and prosperous future. The challenges are tremendous, but we must work together to push forward the progress that the Somali people want to see. “Over the coming days I look forward to meeting with officials from…
NAIROBI, Kenya, January 22, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Burundian authorities imprisoned the director of the privately owned Radio Publique Africaine on Tuesday and charged him with complicity in murder, according to news reports. The arrest followed the station’s broadcast of an interview in which an unidentified guest said he was involved in the September murder of three Italian nuns, news reports said.Prosecutor Emmanuel Nkurikiye accused Bob Rugurika in courtof concealing the identity of an individual who in an interview with the station last week said he had been involved in the murders of three nuns in Kamenge, a town…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, January 22, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, condemned recent violence in Defow, central Somalia. There have been reports of dozens of casualties, including women and children. The SRSG appealed for calm, underlining the need to de-escalate the situation through peaceful dialogue and compromise. SRSG Kay said “We call on all parties to exercise restraint and respect the role of elders in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict.”SRSG Kay extended his sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have suffered as a result…
TOKYO, Japan, January 21, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — 1. On Tuesday, January 20, the Government of Japan decided to provide emergency relief goods worth 19 million yen (Tents, Blankets, etc.) to Republic of Malawi, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in response to the request from the Government of the Republic of Malawi following serious damage from the floods in the country.2. Due to the heavy rain continued about 2 weeks from the beginning of January, Southern part of Malawi is particularly suffering from floods caused by the overflow of Lake Malawi. According to the Government of the…
ROME, Italy, January 21, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In Madagascar, the battle against an ongoing plague of locusts risks being lost as funds to continue operations to subdue widespread infestations of the crop-hungry insects run out, posing a serious food security challenge for 13 million people. Failure to carry through the joint 2013-16 FAO/government anti-locust programme would annul the more than $28.8 million mobilized so far and could trigger a food-security crisis in a huge part of the country Some $10.6 million is needed to complete the locust campaign, including monitoring and spraying operations going through the end of…